The Reason
by Mercer's Girl
Summary: She was the only reason they stayed. She is the reason they changed. A young woman joins Stryker’s special team. She changes the outcome.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This idea for a project has been in the back of mind of awhile but have was having a problem getting it on the computer. This is my first fan fiction, so, be open-minded. (:_

_**IMPORTANT: This is part of the first chapter. I wanted to see how people would take to it, so leave reviews. No flamers, please.**_

_Summary: She was the only reason they stayed. She is the reason they changed. A young woman joins Stryker's special team. She changes the outcome._

_Enjoy._

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No jobs, no missions. Everyone was a little on edge and in need of something to do.

The team: Chris Bradley, John Wraith, Fred Dukes, David North, Victor Creed, James Howlett, Wade Wilson, and the recent Eliana Haswari, were all scattered around the living room, dining room, and kitchen that were all connected. The eight bedrooms were on the surrounding walls of the large room. Their house was located on a military base somewhere in Washington, D.C.

They were all led by Colonel William Stryker. He recruited them all, except Eliana, around the same time during the Vietnam War.

_How would you really like to serve your country?_

No one knew where Stryker or Victor went off to. They only ever saw Stryker when he was giving them information on a mission or when they were on a mission. Victor always disappeared off to who-knows-where frequently. Everyone believed it was to go hunting for blood. Something him and his brother, James, did not share in common.

James' and Victor were both feral with Victor's sharp claws and fangs and James' claws coming from his knuckles. They were both regenerative. They could heal any wounds in a matter of seconds. Although they shared a mutation, they are polar opposites when it comes to a moral compass. James knows he has an animalistic rage in combat and knows it has saved his life but he does not enjoy killing and goes by a firm code of honor. Victor, however, does not abhor his uproar. He is an assassin and a mercenary and he does it all for his own personal pleasure. But even though they are different they are brothers and they stick together.

The rest were all approached about joining the team for their abilities, skills, and mutation. Electrokinetic Chris Bradley, marksman Agent Zero (David North), teleporter John Wraith, invincible Fred Dukes, mercenary Wade Wilson, and telepathic, hypnosis, and a manipulator of metals Eliana Haswari.

Everyone was focused on their own task for the duration of the time before something came up to be dealt with. Wraith had his cowboy hat tipped over his eyes, feet propped up on the coffee table, Bradley was looking into space with a toy plane circling his head, following the motion of his finger, North was dissembling and reassembling his silver hand gun, Wade was sitting at the kitchen bar, sharpening his katanas, Howlett was nursing a beer while leaning back in his chair, Dukes was resting on the couch watching whatever was on the television. And in all this relaxation, Eliana was pacing all over the home. She was on the phone with someone and it didn't sound like the conversation was going in her favor by the tone of her voice.

Of course, they could just listen in on her conversation but the task was difficult considering she was speaking in Hebrew. Ever Wilson who was familiar with many language didn't understand what she was talking about.

"Papa--" she said, pleadingly but she was cut off by the other person: Papa.

She nodded in what looked like defeat and then muttered a quick, "okay" and "shalom."

She walked over the kitchen counter and hopped up to sit on top of it. She let brown hair cascade on either side oh her to conceal her face.

"Ana."

James had called to her. He had been watching her during her conversation on the phone and saw her drop her head in defeat. He knew something was wrong.

Eliana's dark topaz eyes snapped out to his. Her eyes were emotionless, hard. They didn't give anything away.

James looked at her, looked into her eyes. All he saw, in his opinion, was pain. She tried to hide it but he could see it there. And for someone who was sixteen, so young, frightened him a bit. She looks like she had seen way to much in her small life time.

"You alright, darlin'?" he asked, sincerely. He didn't like the way she closed herself off.

She gave him a warm smile, "I'm fine, Jimmy. Just . . Just nothing to worry your pretty, hairy head over."

Wilson snorted without looking up. He wore a small smile on his face as he continued to clean and sharpen his katanas.

Jimmy glowered, half-heartedly and took a pull from his beer. Coming from anyone else he would have punch them, but not from Eliana.

Suddenly, the metal front door of the house was pulled back abruptly and in it's place was a large, hulking shadow. Tall, broad shoulders, bristly chops. Victor.

"Look who's back," Ana stated, playfully. She wore a smile and was swinging her feet below her. Looking much younger than she actually was.

Victor hid his smile. He would never admit that the kid was a soft spot for him. Coming from a guy like him who, killed, raped, and tortured people. Girls her age, too. He shouldn't give a crap. But he did. And that was that.

"Miss me?" he retorted, smoothly.

"Always, Vic. It gets pretty boring without your I-don't-give-a-crap attitude. And I have no idea what's wrong with Wade but he's been a bit quiet. Which is weird considering he never shuts the hell up otherwise." She spoke with a smile on her face while the others snickered at Wilson's expense.

"Hey!" Wade said, offended. "Nothing is wrong with me!"

Eliana just grinned at him.

"So, does anyone know where Willy is on this fine afternoon?" Wade asked, in general, referring to Stryker. "If I don't go out and kill someone right now, I'm going to lose it."

"Your saying you haven't completely lost it, Wilson?" Ana asked, cheekily.

"You are the only thing keeping my sanity in check, sweet cheeks." he told her with a comical grin. Although, all of what he just said was the truth. She was there for him in every sense of the word. And he loved her for it.

She just laughed, softly.

The metal front door was once again pulled open. Stryker walked down the hallway leading toward the room where his team was all waiting.

Stryker started toward the kitchen where they were all together.

"We have a mission." his voice rang throughout and off the cement walls.

"Finally!" Wade yelled like a little girl.

Stryker rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored him and continued as if he wasn't interrupted.

"We have a wild mutant in Vietnam. He has been circling around bases for American soldiers causing trouble. He needs to be taken out. That's where we come in. We go in and take him out without causing a scene." he said, looking pointedly at Victor. He just gave a small smirk.

Of course, some of them didn't like the idea of going somewhere to kill a human being, but they stuck together. Especially for Eliana. They all thought she shouldn't be here. She was too young for this line of 'work.'

"_That _is where you come is Eliana," she raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"How is your singing voice?" he asked, smirk in place.

"Um, _what_?" she asked, bewildered.

"In the American bases, women are hired to sing in their hideouts. For entertainment, for show. And that will be your way in. The men will be disguised as soldiers and will be around the base, looking for him. We do not know what he looks like so you will be wary. He has a tendency to be . . . Rough with woman, so I've heard."

"Wonderful" she muttered, inaudible to everyone except James and Victor.

"Can I speak with you for a moment in private please?" he more demanded than asked. She followed nonetheless.

When she came back into the room, everyone was trying to be discreet about staring at her. She noticed anyway.

"You boys need something?" she snapped halfheartedly.

"What did he want?" Zero asked gruffly, not wanting to be out of the loop.

"He just gave me the clothes I needed and told me to be careful, which was very un-Stryker mind you, said that this guy was strong, ruthless, and cruel," a careless shrug, "whatever. I deal with Victor everyday. I'm sure I'm going to be fine."

Even Victor was vigilant on the fact that this guy, whoever the hell he was, was even remotely similar to himself.

Wraith beat everyone to it when he spoke up, "You don't have to do this, Eliana. We can go tell Stryker right now that you don't want to do it. We'll make him listen." he spoke fiercely.

She stared at them all, "It's going to be okay. I promise. We'll camp out for the night and then come back here and I can kick all your asses in poker. Everything is going to be fine." she trailed off and with a final look to everyone walk off to her room, the _click _of the lock reverberating off the walls.

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_Review, please. Sorry for spelling or grammar mistakes._ (:


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: This is my first fan fiction, be open-minded. (:_

_No flamers, please._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but Eliana Haswari. _

_Summary: She was the only reason they stayed. She is the reason they changed. A young woman joins Stryker's special team. She changes the outcome._

_Enjoy._

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Later that night, everyone was off doing their own thing on the base.

As for Eliana, she was in her room at her desk, feet propped up on the surface, a book in hand. She had been in there since she had gotten news about their next mission. She wasn't nervous in the least.

_Another day, another mark._

She didn't hate what she did. She was good at it, why not get paid for it. Some thought it was odd for a sixteen year old girl to have no problem, no feeling toward killing another being mutant or not.

She didn't know why she was good at what she did, why she didn't care before, during, or after. It's what did she did and that was it.

So, here she was not worrying about the future. All she was doing was getting lost in her book.

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They were use to going on dangerous missions to far off places where they have one job to do: to hurt, to warn, to capture, to kill. To them it was as easily done. No second thoughts, no doubt. It was simple to them.

They didn't believe Eliana could possibly do what they did everyday at first. Kill someone, and then live with it later. No. They didn't think a young, innocent, sixteen year old girl could do what they did.

But she ended up changing their minds. They still thought she was too young, but she could defend herself. She would have their backs and they would have her back without a doubt when she needed it but so far, that wasn't the case. She was proved herself to them again and again.

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The next morning, even though she only got a few hours of sleep, she was up early at 5:00 A.M. She believed she hardly got any sleep ever was because she either had so much energy that she couldn't sleep or it was because she was always so alert that she didn't like to lose her walls. Or stress that was unconsciously in the back of her head. Whichever

She went into the training room and started working out. She stayed in there until she heard everyone starting to get up at 7:00 A.M.

She started out the door and when she walked out into the main room Wade walked out of his room. She was wiping the little sweat that had appeared on her forehead and drinking out of a bottle of water.

"Isn't it a little early to go at it in the gym, Annie?" he asked, using one of the many nicknames he has come up with from her name.

"I, personally, like to work out. We can't all have fast metabolisms, Wade." she retorted, not in the least put-out.

"You're the only one, sweet cheeks."

"Mhm." she mumbled, walking over to her room and heading into the bathroom to jump in the shower and wash up.

She walked into the main room where all the guys were situated around the table, looking hungry and not about to do a thing about it. She saw Victor already drinking a beer and raised an eyebrow. He just responded with a smirk and a tip on the handle. She couldn't really be that surprised and smiled a little.

"Don't get up! I can handle a breakfast for seven all by myself." she said sarcastically, already getting pans and ingredients out of the cabinets. "I would rather make all of you food anyway. That whole protein diet thing needs to just disappear. Has Stryker even smelt you guys?" she asked rhetorically. She knew she was ranting but she didn't care.

An hour and a half later and a large amount of food gone, everyone relaxing around the table, talking.

"Did Stryker even say when we had to start headed toward 'Nam?" Eliana ask, in general, pulling out a box of cigarettes and a box of matches from her jacket pocket.

"He didn't tell us anything but I wouldn't be surprised if he told us we leave tonight." James said while stealing a match for his cigar.

She looked off with her cigarette stuck in between her teeth with a far off look on her face, "You know," still looking away, "I'm kind of anxious to get this job done. Usually I'm excited but, I don't know, something isn't sitting right."

Wade, always having to add his two-cents, quipped, "Like the fact you have to sing? I know, I'm anxious about it, too."

She in-turn threw a fork at him. "Hey! This is the meal ticket!" he said, his finger circling his face.

She rolled her eyes and took the cigarette in between her pointer and middle finger to exhale. She made an unintelligible sound and put it back in between her lips.

"I just want to get this one done." she said sounding a little defeated.

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As they predicted, Stryker came in through the door saying they were leaving the next morning. As the sun began to touch the horizon, they were already up. Bags packed with their fake uniforms and clothes for disguise. Eliana had been staying in her room the whole morning. No one knows why she was in there and no one dared to go and find out why. They thought she needed to be left alone.

Just as they were getting ready to call Ana to leave, her door cracked open and then opened up showing Eliana's silhouette. She had a loose, fuchsia shirt on with her leather jacket on. She had a pair of medium wash jeans and a pair of dirty, black leather boots on her feet. She held her black duffle bag over her shoulder.

"Time to go?" she said, endearingly.

"Let's head out. I only want to take three cars so figure out who is going in who's car. Zero, Bradley, Creed, you're with me." Stryker said with authority.

Eliana walked out and over to one of the garages. She put her duffle bag down and leaned down to pull the door up. She walked over to her car, pulling out her keys on the way.

"I don't care who is coming with me, just get in so we can get over to the plane."

Wade immediately hopped into her car, "Is this real or fake leather?"

His question went unanswered and Jimmy came over a told him to get into the back seat. Wade was a little more than put out.

"But, why?!"

"Because I'm older than you. Now get out." Jimmy said rather bluntly.

While Wade was getting out and getting into the back seat he said, "Well, you're older than everyone really, Jimmy. Well . . . Everyone except Vicky. He has a few years on you, right?"

Jimmy growled, "Don't you ever shut up?"

"Not while I'm awake" he retorted, not missing a beat.

Eliana ignored them both and put the car in drive. She followed Stryker in his van with Agent Zero, Chris, and Victor. While John and Fred followed them in their truck behind them.

"Let's just get this over with." Eliana said, sound more depressed.

Jimmy and Wade shared concerned looks.

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_I hope I got all the facts right. I really had no right to stop right for months at a time - lol. _

_Thanks for the reviews; review and tell me what you think (:_


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